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First time in Ireland...have just 5 days to see a lot! Need advice

To anyone with insight- I am traveling to Ireland in April. We will arrive (myself and my 80 year old mom and 21 year old daughter) in Dublin on a Thursday morning. We plan to rent a car and go directly to Gallway. It may be a long day considering we are coming from NYC. That said, I feel we have to get started. We plan on staying at B&B in Gallway city for Thursday night. Friday we will visit Connemerra and stay over again just outside Gallway at lovely thatched cottage type B&B on Friday night. It will leave me just two more full days....Saturday and Sunday. I really should be back to Dublin by Sunday. I will have just Monday in Dublin. I leave on Tuesday. I was wondering what to do after Gallway....head to Doolin for one night and then the Ring of Kerry? Or do I not have time for this? I know nothing about the Ring of Kerry or Kilkenny or the peninsulas and now all things are starting to sound the same. Please let me know if I am taking on too much. And if you would not even go to Gallway. Maybe it too far? I don't mind driving 4 hours a day but more than that may be tough. Thanks for any advice you can share,
Clueless fron Connecticut

I think you should slow down and focus on the area around Galway and then return to Dublin so that you have 2 days there before you leave. A lot will be closed on Sunday. The Ring of Kerry is too far away, too many hours in the car. Ditto for Kilkenny and so on. Take time to get out of the car and let the Irish entertain you. Have a pint, shop in small stores, ask directions and be sure to get lost on a small country road near Galway. To try to see the island in 5 days is ridiculous IMO, so take your time and visit Galway and Dublin. Have something to talk about other than the highways when you get back. Visit with your hosts at the B&B's - they'll tell you what's worth seeing close by.

You need to be realistic. Ireland is not a place one can dash about and see a lot in a few days simply because the travel is very slow. Like 30mph (or less) slow in many scenic bits on the west coast. So driving 4 hours is fine -- you just can't cover too much territory in that time.

Plus - driving immediately after an overnight flight isn't a great idea. How do all of you manage with jet lag? Do you have to be back in Dublin for an event on Sunday or simply because you want Sunday evening/Monday in Dublin?

Unless you have an event in Dublin, I'd do the city at the front end. Stay in Dublin Thurs night, see the city car-less, and recover a bit from the jetlag. Then Friday afternoon (or Saturday morning if you want more time IN Dublin) collect a rental car and head west. Where you go - lots of choices but choose one area and head there for Sunday and Monday. Monday evening drive to somewhere near DUB for your last night before flying out.

You can get to Galway by express bus from Dublin Airport. I am guessing you are staying at Nancy's Cloch na Scith Spiddal so grab a taxi from Galway won't be too expensive. As the driver you can get the bus back to Galway for a rental car (Budget car hire in the city centre by Eyre Sq)

You do have time to do a mad dash down to Kerry but you won't find anything better to see than you already could have. If you want a change from Spiddal then after dropping down west Clare have a night in Ennis or Adare and make the way back to Dublin from there.

As Tony said, you probably COULD make the dash down to Killarney, but you would NOT have time to do the Ring of Kerry. The BASIC 'Loop' of the ROK takes 6 1/2 hours (with only a few stops).
As has been advised, I would bus to Galway and rent the car there and then return to Dublin.

The Galway bus is nice and fast.Pick up in the city or airport if you decide to go directly after your arrival. I think your mom will be your biggest concern and the bus is fine. Rent a car for exploring Connemara. You could even do a ferry to Inishmore for the day.

The coach to Galway and collecting your car the next day works as well (or better) than staying in Dublin at the beginning. The main thing is you don't want to to be driving (or at least any distance) after a probably sleepless overnight flight.

Thank you all for your very candid responses. I am excited to pair this down and see things calmly! I know there is a lot to take in and I love the advice of the bus! I do suffer from jet lag as I am unable to sleep well on a plane (in coach class that is lol) So we will take bus to Gallway. I assume no need to get a bus ticket till we get there. We will spend two nights with Nancy at the cottage...Tony..not sure how you knew that! But it must be a great place. It would be nice to go to one more place before heading back to Dublin in our rental car. So..any suggestions. Ennis or Adare were mentioned. Also we could see the Cliffs of Moher or just stop in Doolin. I hear it is charming. Please feel free to recommend B&Bs too. We will not go far south on all of your recommendations. It is too far. Thank you so much for all your insight. I wish I had more time and I am very willing to relax and just see a bit now that I have been brought back to earth. Please advise what to do. Finally we will have two nights in Dublin. Again...hotel vs BB in Dublin? I have to fly out of Dublin and the flights are set. I am very appreciative of your expertise! Happy to help anyone coming my way..New England is my specialty.

I know Spiddal fairly well you might like Tigh Hughes if there's music on, not sure on the craic for An Cruiscin but if its open you can get a good meal there. Padraicins is another option close by.

In Ennis we use the Gray Gables which is very handy for town, round the corner from the Old Ground Hotel and the main street, Poets corner in the Old Ground is good for food and second choice for us after Brogans which is also one of the music bars.

Doolin is a couple of villages mainly made up of accommodation, has 2 pubs a couple of shops but does have the ferry to the Arans. Nice place to visit but not my idea for an overnight. Inis Oir and the Cliffs combi cruise is my recommendation if you can make the time. heading south follow the coast road from Ballyvaughan which takes you round Blackhead and past Fannore (great beach) along the coast into Doolin. My map has other points for the area.

Dublin I can't really help with we use the Maldron in Smithfield but you might prefer the Schoolhouse schoolhousehotel.com .

Tony,
Your list of recommendations from your document is amazing! We could hire you to tour us around for a few hours if you are interested! It this itinerary places between Gallway and going a bit south to Doolin? I guess we will leave Gallway and do this on the way to Doolin and the Cliffs. Then stay in Ennis. Is Gray Gables a B&B? You are so incredibly helpful and I can tell very proud of your heritage and country!

I would get the bus into Galway rather than the driving into the city and the high point! finding a parking place in Galway. See how you feel day one? visit the city when/before you collect the rental car. Busker Brownes is the place we usually take our visitors for a bite to eat.

http://www.ceardlann.com/ is marked on the Connemara map in Spiddal (sorry google messed with lots of items when it upgraded! so most features on that map are shown as ferries)About a 5 minute drive west from Cloch na Scith and well worth a visit but be careful with the spending money..

Gray Gables is a guest house (B&B with more than 5 bedrooms) and a great location, The breakfast is good but the dining room is small so Mary "schedules" breakfasts. She runs a tight ship but is extremely helpful (as are the vast majority of B&B hosts)

The time you have won't allow you to see everything, I live here and haven't seen everything so make the most of what you do and don't miss what you can't achieve.

I would book a little outside of the temple bar area more over by Trinity college since it is a bit quieter. Stay on that side of the Liffey for convenience because of you Mom. Easy to get back to the airport unless you have a 7 am flight. You are very close to museums and attractions there. St Stephens Green, Grafton St.

You will love the peat fires in the pubs in Ireland! It's been years since we were there and I can still smell them! The food in the pubs was also good and reasonable. I also loved the steak and kidney pie! Have fun and pack a plastic raincoat, it will probably rain while you are there.

If you stay in Ennis I highly recommend Newpark House. We have stayed there twice and loved it. This B&B is set back off the road and is an old mansion. Close to Ennis City Center but you feel like your in the country. We were SO happy that the owner, Declan, recommended the Poets Corner Pub for us to eat at since I just loved their hamburger! Have a wonderful trip. Becky

Newpark House is a nice location and a nice property But 40 minutes walk into town and a taxi back after a drink. For €50 each minimum B&B you might find a better deal at the Temple gate or Old Ground.

Going to Ireland late August early Sept. 4 Adults Would like to fly to Shannon, stay in Galway night 1. Would it be recommend to spend more time there. Then drive south Burren/Doolin/caves/ Cliffs. How many hours should we plan for this? What would be a good stopping point the second night. Kilrush/Ennis/Adair/Tralee?

Next would like to drive to dingle (recommended time to spend in this area?) and then on to Killarney for night.

From Killarney via Blarney and on to Cork for 2 nights. Is it realistic to drive to Cobh and Kensale in the same day and return to Cork for 2nd night.

From here plan on driving to Dublin. What would be a recommended route for this? Thinking about Cahir/Cashel. Would Kilkenny be worth a stop possibly stay the night and then to Dublin.
When in Dublin, plan a day trip either Wicklow or North Trim New Grange area, which is better if we can only do one. Any feed back would be helpful.

Welcome to Fodors lduke47. It is usually better to start a new thread of your own instead of piggy backing on another thread. Yes, Tony2phones did respond - but your trip is different w/ different details/requirements. Plus many people won't even see your post and will continue answering the OP.

So I have taken all the advice from my original inquiry and scaled back this trip. We will arrive in Dublin and stay the day and night in order to rest before driving. We will drive to Gallway and stay two nights before driving to Ennis. It seems like enough time in Gallway but I would appreciate any good ideas for adventure in Gallway and also on the way to Ennis. Should we stop on Doolin? Or the Cliffs of Moher? After Ennis we go back to Dublin but have all day to meander back to Dublin. Let me know if you have any other suggestions! Thanks.
Kathleen

If you head out on the N59 from Galway you have the links from before to do a figure of 8 out and back. Dropping to Ennis via Kinvara, Ballyvaughan right turn round Blackhead to Doolin, maybe do the cliffs mini cruise? then the Cliffs to Liscannor, Lahinch, Ennistymon and Ennis. Brogans in Ennis is currently changing hands and being revamped so will hold recommending there until I have been down when they reopen so Poets corner in the Old Ground for food? there will be music somewhere in town.

Thank you all for your kind responses. This is a message for Tony in particular since I do not know how to message you any other way. Our itinerary has us beginning at School House for one night...then to Nancy's place in Spiddal. We would have the rest of the day to explore Gallway..But that is day one. Perhaps day one we just check out Gallway? They for day #2, I went back to see your blog and like all the stuff on N59. It seems it would be a great day just traveling up to Clifden. But the Oughtergard Ferry leaves at 11 and we are not back till 6. This is our first full day in Conmerra/Gallway so not sure if we do your driving tour or do the ferry? Then day #3 we will plan to do the lower part....Ballyvaughn/Blackhead...Moher Cliffs..maybe ferry and end up in Ennis. So my question is...what is better to meander up N59 and skip all day ferry to the island (but then we miss Ashford castle, Cong, St Patrick etc) or do it. We have 2 full days. Is the More Ferry more worth it? I think we will love exploring along N59 but wonder if the Cruise is a good idea. Also..if we prefer the Moher cruise do we have to book ahead of time? We are at Gray Gables for one night. Then we will follow your latest suggestion to do some in Clare on way back to Dublin. You gave 3 or 4 suggestions for our trip to Dublin via Mountshannon, tulla, Portuma. It will get us back to School house by Sunday night. I thank you for all your advice. Shall I tell Nancy or Gray Gables that you sent us? Please let me know if you want us to do so and what your name is in that case. I am basically looking for advice on how to make the most of a full day north of Gallway and then a full day south getting us to Ennis. Thanks again!

The ferry or driving is your choice maybe leave that and decide when you know the weather? Always wise in Ireland to let the weather help decisions.

This forum used to line email addresses (which is never good) but you will find me on the TA and Ireland Yes forums which allow private messaging. Not much point in mentioning my name in any but a very few places, nothing cloak and dagger just prefer to be an ordinary unknown bod.